Betractihg mechanism



B. P. JOYC E. GUN RETBACTING MECHANISM 'APPLICATION FILED MAYIB, 1922.

Patented July 25, 1922.

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GUN RETRACTING MECHANISM.

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Application filed May 19, 1922.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1922.

Serial No. 562,240.

(FILED UNDER THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1883, 22 STAT. L, 625.)

T (ZZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, BRYAN P. JOYCE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Washington, District of Columbia, have invented an Improvement in Gun Retracting Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

The invention described herein: may be usedby the Government, or any of its oflicers or employees in presecution of work for the Government, or by any other person in the United States, without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The subject of this invention is a gun retracting mechanism for moving the gun barrel with respect to its mount.

In the construction of mobile guns it is desirable to provide means for retracting the gun barrel into its traveling look upon the trail or upon its transport wagon so as to relieve the gun carriage wheels of excessive loads and consequent strains during transport.

The present invention is devised to accomplish the above mentioned objects, and I secure these objects by providing coacting means carried by the gun barrel and a relatively stationary part of the carriage for moving the gun barrel in the direction of its longitudinal axis.

More specifically, this object is attained by providing a rack on the gun barrel with which a pinion, carried on a shaft detachably journaled in suitable bearings on the cradle, is in mesh.

With these and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the Spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated one practical embodiment of my invention, and in said drawing Fig. 1 is a cross section of a gun constructed in accordance with the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of the same, the operating crank handle removed.

In the following specification reference to the drawing is had by numerals:

The usual form of gun barrel is indicated by the numeral 1 which barrel is mounted for sliding movement in the cradle 2.

Carried by the cradle 2 are bearings 3 and 4 in which are journaled a shaft 5 positioned, as shown, at right angles to a vertical plane containing the longitudinal axis of the gun. As is evident the shaft 5 is detachably mounted in its bearings, the bearing 3 having an opening of suiiicient diameter to permit the passage of the pinion 6 therethrough and the shaft 5 having an enlarged portion or collar 5 formed integral therewith or secured thereon for the purpose of providing a tight turning fit in the bearing 3. The pinion 6, mounted on the shaft 5, is constrained to rotate therewith and this pinion, when the shaft is in place in its bearings, is in mesh with a rack 7 which is formed on the lower portion of the gun barrel and extends longitudinally thereof. Any suitable means may be provided for rotating the shaft 5 and pinion 6, that herein shown consisting of a crank arm 8 attached to the projecting end of the shaft and provided with a handle 9 so that the shaft may be manually rotated.

When the barrel is to be retracted to position for transport, the shaft is inserted in its bearings and, by turning the same counter clockwise the barrel is brought to the desired position.

When the barrel is to be run out to battery position a clockwise movement of the crank moves the barrel forward to proper position.

I claim:

1. A gun retracting mechanism, including a gun barrel, a rack formed thereon and extending longitudinally thereof, a support for the gun barrel, a shaft journaled in said support, a pinion rigid on the shaft and in mesh with the rack and means for rotating the shaft.

2. A gun retracting mechanism including a gun barrel, a rack formed on and extending longitudinally of the gun barrel, a support for the barrel and mechanism mounted in the support and engaging the rack to move the barrel relative to the support.

3. A gun retracting mechanism, including a gun barrel, a support for the barrel and means carried by the barrel and support,

eoacting to move the barrel relative to the 10 a cradle, a gun barrel slidable in thecradle and means carried by the barrel and cradle eoaeting to move the barrel relative to the 10 cradle. I

BRYAN P. J OYGE. 

